Vodkaman

My plan would be an external turner, operating 24/7. After the initial manual mixing, the plastisol would always be available. I haven't figured it out yet. I am thinking about the Falkirk Wheel boat lift as my inspiration. I know, jugs of plastic are a lot heavier than lures on a turner, but I am thinking the same motor power for the drive. You can have a laugh now Dave

My suggestion would be to design in 'bolt on' backing plates with recessed bolt heads. This will help keep the shape of the mold halves, and simplify assembly with permanently fixed backing plates. Make the printed halves identical, so you can print extra halves if problems arise. I have to make more of an effort to source a 3D printer here in Indonesia. I have been lazy. I will be printing hard-baits rather than molding. This gives me the opportunity to improve the shape beyond 'mold-able', and with the added benefit of making my printed lures difficult to copy. Dave

Very interesting explanation and novel technique. Nothing wrong with the English. Dave

I was hoping the 'over-fill' method would work, so thanks for confirming that, as the weighing the correct amount would get very tedious in a hurry. I look forward to some pics of your methods. Dave

This is interesting stuff, I am tempted to buy a kilo just to keep around for any future projects. There are a few problems with our application: 1 - It is too thick to pour or inject, so that means weighing an exact amount and pressing into the mold halves and closing, avoiding any bubbles or voids. 2 - The density of 1.145g/ml makes it heavier than water, so a hollow center has to be included in the mold. This means molding two halves separately. 3 - Too slow for production, but fine for own use. A 3D printed mold might work well, the flexibility will help assembling the two halves. My post reads a bit negative, but this could be fun to work with. Problems can be solved. Dave

A mistake that I made in the early days of lure building, was testing without hooks fitted. The addition of hooks in weight and fluid effects changes the action of the lure, sometimes sending the lure outside the design idea, or at least disappointing after the initial hookless trials. So my contribution is; Always fit the hooks for testing. Dave

Yes agreed. Function not form I am sure would have been my advice, especially in the early stages of a project. Dave

Strange that this is the only color blending issue that you have. There are other blends that could potentially cause problems such as yellow and red. I am sure there will be a simple solution, perhaps a mist of clear can spray, or even hair spray. Just thinking aloud Dave

You should at least take a look, it is very simple. Here is a photo of the screen. simply enter the data in the two yellow boxes and see the result in the blue. The rest is information about the formula which you can ignore. The red box is the Strouhal number which you can change to see the effect. Dave

There is a formula for the frequency of the wobble, called the Strouhal formula. It sounds complex but it is very simple, only requiring a simple calculator. F = St x V / W F = frequency of the wobble. Cycles per second. St = Strouhal number, about 0.12 for flat lips. V = velocity, how fast the retrieval, measured in metres per second. W = lip width, measured in metres. have a spreadsheet that eliminates the fuss, just type in your data. Computers only. Just message me. Dave

I don't know why they find this site so appealing. We are the least likely group to go for whatever they are offering! Dave

Very entertaining post. I have used swimming pools a few times. You would be surprised how accommodating the pool boss can be if you ask. It is such an outlandish request, it will give him something to talk about next time at the bar with his mates. Dave

If you are considering mass production numbers then I totally agree with you, stay clear. But, if you are making short runs for your own use, then taking the right precautions, you will do fine. If you are an environmentalist then you will be looking for an alternative. I have poured slugs for my crankbaits without any problems, very low production. I have a 3D print design which will use standard ball bearings. Dave

I would go nude, black or white. For something a bit more fancy, I would float some paint on a bucket of water and lift it onto a dipped body. I can't remember the name of the technique. I do not paint my lures but have no trouble catching fish with them. Dave

Somehow they are getting paid for these posts, but who is paying them!

I am retired and cannot afford to live in UK, and the medical insurance would kill me in USA. Rent and food is very cheap here in Indonesia, the people are friendly and it is always summer. I am face blind (prosopagnosia) and here, I do not have to speak beyond 'hello' as I only speak enough of the language to get by, no conversations. For me, this is a perfect world. Dave

For testing, I go to the ponds 30 minutes before the competition, the owner is happy about this. This lure is a small, shallow, hunting crank I developed for this small mouthed fish. The fish is called a bawal. This one is around 3Kg (6.6Lb). Bait fishing, the average weight is 0.5Kg to 1.5Kg, but with lures, the BIG fish come out to play. Dave

Stunning fish, and WOW to that scenery. You would laugh at the concrete ponds that I fish, but is all that I have available locally. Besides, I would be devoured by mosquitoes at natural waters. I have 6 concrete stocked competition ponds within a 10 minute cycle, and I win enough to pay for all my fishing needs. Dave

I have never ‘fished’ soft plastics, in fact, I have never ‘fished’ hard baits in earnest, only testing to see if they swim and interest the fish. My local fishing waters do not allow lures, only bait fishing allowed, and then, only certain baits and tackle arrangements. Fishing these competition ponds is all about the skill of the angler with bait and tackle being a level playing field. The dictionary defines hybrid as; combining two different elements. My interpretation of hybrid is a lure that combines any of the standard classifications; hard-bait, soft plastic, wire-bait or fly. But, many members define a hybrid as a combination of two different soft plastics. In my opinion, such same genre combinations belong in ‘soft plastics', not ‘hybrids’. It is a complex issue because most wire-baits are a combination of a wire-bait and a soft plastic trailer, technically these are ‘hybrids’ but should be counted as wire-baits. I don’t get involved in any of this as I only do hard-baits with the occasional soft-plastic contribution. Soft-plastics follow the same fluid dynamic rules as hard-baits as do all lures. There is just as much room for innovation in soft-baits as in hard-baits, but members don’t seem to get involved that deep. Soft-plastics is a different style of fishing. As far as I know, soft-plastics will usually win over other types of lure, but I am dedicated to cranks. If you want to get innovative with softies then soft-plastics is where you should post. You can choose to use scientific jargon to explain an action or simply describe the action in visual terms, both are acceptable and constructive. I am an engineer and so I think in engineering terms. You can ask me to explain by post or message, I do not mind at all. I think there is a lot of room for more innovation in softies. Dave

Thanks for the complement. 'Sinusoidal' refers to any motion that is smooth and regular, like the graph of A/C voltage. If you view a crankbait from above, the left and right waggle motion is sinusoidal. Sinusoidal meaning the plot of a sine wave. Dave

You have been a member for 8 years and posted 82 times, and you ask this question. I don't know what to say. If you were a new member I might suggest to search and read. You would not have to look far as every third post in the hardbait section is about topcoats! Dave

Their needs to be a flat between the nose and the tow eye. As I see it, with the rounded shape, a weak vortex is created at the start and sets the lure in motion to one side. BUT, when the next vortex on the other side is formed, it is too weak to change the direction to make the wiggle, and so the lure spirals. A flat, as described above will increase the vortex strength and allow the required change in direction. To test out this hypothesis, a thin plastic flat can be soft glued as described and the edges filled with soft modeling clay or even hot glue might work. Google 'lipless cranks' and note the nose flat. Dave

Pete, I fell for that one too. Still, good information. Dave

I was a member of a website dedicated to the Thien. I did a quick search but it seems to have disappeared. Still, plenty of articles are available for this simple and effective build. I liked it because it was based on vortices Dave

Consider plaster of paris for the mold. POP has a superior finish. Dave